The Future of Public Education is in Community Schools

Some political pundits have been arguing that the left should capitulate to Republicans and adopt their messaging around education. We resoundingly reject this notion. The left does have a winning strategy that uplifts students when it comes to education – it just needs to be implemented more widely. Sustainable community schools are the future of public education. Sustainable community schools utilize an evidence based strategy to support students and provide the wraparound resources they need. The sustainable community school model allows schools to meet the specific needs of the community they are in, taking into account how student outcomes can be improved holistically, not just test scores.

The sustainable community school movement is still in its early stages, but early outcomes look incredibly promising. There has been a lot of investment in states such as California, Maryland, and New York (where one in every four schools is a sustainable community school). The Learning and Policy Institute (LPI) found that in the California schools which received community school grants, there were improvements across a wide range of student outcomes, not just test scores. Some of these outcomes include reduced chronic absentee rates, reduced suspension rates, and increased academic achievement scores. Additionally, sustainable community schools help to close equity gaps – the largest academic gains at these schools were among historically underserved communities. Sustainable community schools are the future of equitable public education.

A Quiet Revolution Is Improving Schools

By Jeff Bryant | December 3rd, 2025 | Network for Public Education